


Crossroads of the Heart

by StormShadow10



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormShadow10/pseuds/StormShadow10
Summary: "When you run, I’ll run with you. When you stumble, I’ll be there to catch you. When you feel like you can’t go on, I’ll carry you. And I know you’ll do the same for me. We’ll braid our paths together until not even the goddesses can untangle us."
Relationships: Link/Shad (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Link. My dearest Link._

_Where do I begin the story of us?_

_Rarely does it seem that the individual paths of our disparate lives have crossed each other. Truly, they’d have had no business crossing at all had it not been for luck or fate or the goddesses’ will. Whatever one could call it, the force behind our continual meetings and partings these past few years has left me wanting nothing more than to gravitate ever closer to you until our two paths become one._

_But I’m getting ahead of myself._

_I suppose there have been many firsts: the first time we met, the first time we spoke late into the night, the first time we kissed. The first time I looked into your eyes and saw you looking back, each of us knowing that we’d placed our hearts in each other’s care. In some instances, there have even been seconds and thirds and…goddesses know how many._

_And yet there has been no beginning. Our paths diverge, and we continue on with our disparate lives. Until next we meet._

_Unbeknownst to me, I’d begun to live for those brief intersections our paths sometimes created throughout the twists and turns of our lives. With you, the road becomes even, the sun lights the way, and my feet forget their exhaustion. The sections in between are rough and dull and tiresome, and every time you leave, my heart aches more and more for your return._

_I should have called you back a dozen times. I know now that you would have answered._

_In that strange way that only fate can be held responsible for, it is you who is beckoning to me this time. And, obediently, I follow my heart and my path to you once more. I can only hope that this time we share the same path a little while longer._

_Dare I hope that this, at last, should mark our beginning? Will fate finally let us walk together, hand-in-hand, until our last steps? Or even now do I march towards the next crossroads that will see our paths deviate once more from each other?_

Shad paused in his writing to look up at the night sky. The stars were out in their full glory, a dazzling curtain composed of a million tiny diamonds. The air was chill despite the early summer weather. The heat from his little campfire couldn’t seem to melt the ice that had suddenly gripped his heart.

Mentally shaking himself, Shad drew his gaze back to the unfinished journal in his hands, fire coursing his veins.

_No, this time will be different. If fate won’t allow us to travel together, we shall forge our own path. No more desolate roads and lonely nights. No more aimless wandering._

_When you run, I’ll run with you. When you stumble, I’ll be there to catch you. When you feel like you can’t go on, I’ll carry you. And I know you’ll do the same for me. We’ll braid our paths together until not even the goddesses can untangle us._

_I’m on my way, dear. I will find you, and this time I’ll hold on._

_Our story begins here._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Queen Zelda said, closing the study door behind her. “There’s no need for formalities,” she continued. Her three guests, previously seated before the desk, had stood to bow. “Please, sit.” Placing herself in the chair opposite the three and folding her arms atop the desk, Zelda waited for her guests to get comfortable once more. “Before I continue, I must insist that the matter we are to discuss remain confidential between us and a select few not in attendance.”

The young queen paused, giving weight to her next words. “Link is missing.” She watched as first shock followed by confusion and concern passed across the faces of her guests. “Auru, Shad, Ashei, I have called upon you to task you each with the mission of locating the whereabouts of the Hero of Light.

“Here is what we know. Just over three months ago, Link set off on a peacekeeping tour of Hyrule to start at Lake Hylia. We received a brief report stating that all was well in that region. A month then went by with no word from Link. A scout sent to Lake Hylia to ascertain his status returned with the news that the denizens of the region had seen him leaving towards the south shortly after he must have sent his report.

“We then contacted Rusl, an ex-member of your group, inquiring as to whether Link had returned to Ordon Village. According to him, no one from the village has seen Link since his last peacekeeping tour. Over the last seven weeks, we’ve sent trusted scouts to every corner of Hyrule, and none have been able to find even a trace of our missing hero. We, my most trusted advisors and I, have chosen to keep Link’s absence from the public in order not to arouse panic. Hyrule may be experiencing an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity, but we’d rather not risk word reaching any potential opportunistic enemies of the disappearance of Hyrule’s valiant protector.

“I have exhausted the resources available to me, and must now humbly ask that you three, once friends and close confidantes of Link, use the intimate knowledge you have of his character alongside the skills you no doubt still retain from the crisis that plagued this land three years ago to locate Link and determine his…status.”

Zelda could tell before she had even finished her briefing that Auru, Shad, and Ashei, the last members of the long-disbanded Resistance, would accept the mission. Not only had they become rather close with Link during the events of the Twilight Crisis, but they’d remained in contact afterwards, sporadic as it was. Yes, Link had spoken of his time with them often during his brief stays at the castle while he was reporting back from a mission or tour. Especially when those times concerned the red-haired, bespectacled Shad in particular.

If anyone knew where in Hyrule Link might be hiding, it would be him.

“Very well. I leave it up to you to decide on the most efficient course of action for retrieving Link. Again, I must stress that secrecy be maintained concerning this mission. If you require further information, you may visit Liza’s office here in the castle. She has all the details about the case.” As the three made to leave, Zelda allowed herself one brief moment of earnestness. The same earnestness her advisors warned would one day get her into trouble but had so far only resulted in more people gathered around her in support.

“Thank you for once again taking up the task of ensuring Hyrule’s future. I don’t know where we’d be today without the Resistance’s and Link’s efforts. But Link is more than a symbol to those who know him. He means a lot to all of us. Please find our hero and bring him home.”

-

Entering his apartment several hours later, Shad dropped his satchel to the floor and sank into the nearest available chair. He let the full gravity of the situation wash over him. Zelda had confirmed his worst fears; Link was missing, and no one even knew if he was still alive. The last time the pair had seen each other had been the morning of the young man’s departure from Castle Town.

In retrospect, Shad should have suspected something. Link had seemed distant, his thoughts elsewhere as he prepared himself for the journey, his smile never quite reaching his eyes, those dazzling blue eyes. What had he said after their last parting kiss, one foot on each side of the threshold? _“Goodbye, Shad. I’m really gonna miss you.”_

Link had never before left him with that. It was usually a “see ya soon!” or a “don’t miss me too much!” or a “I’ll be back before you know it!”. His words that day had held a peculiar note of finality that Shad was only now deciphering.

Link never said goodbye, because he always intended to return. And he always did. Until now.

Shad had spent the first month aching to see his lover again. He’d spent the second month worried that something had happened to Link, that he’d been captured or left somewhere to die of his wounds. He’d spent the third month certain that Link had simply left him, and so soon after Shad had just begun to feel that they were finally going to make things work. Was Link afraid of commitment? No, that couldn’t be: Link wasn’t afraid of anything.

Well, nothing except…But he was too good at hiding that secret.

In the week leading up to the queen’s summons, Shad had done a bit of his own reconnaissance. He’d discovered from several of Link’s acquaintances, new and old, that no one had seen the young man for some months. A brief conversation with the Postman had even revealed that Link had several unopened letters awaiting his attention, but that he’d failed in his own quest to deliver them as he’d, likewise, been unable to locate the hero.

As macabre as the implications were, the lack of confirmation as to Link’s whereabouts helped assuage the fears in Shad’s mind that Link no longer cared for him and had opted instead to leave him, and only him, high and dry. Link’s last cryptic farewell hadn’t been personal, or at least not entirely. The only other option, however, was that Link was being kept from him by a force beyond either of their control. Shad didn’t know whether to feel comforted or horrified at the prospect.

But that didn’t solve the mystery of the missing hero, only brought him a step closer to the truth. Link had left _everyone_ behind with no clues or answers, but why? Had the pressure of being Hyrule’s Hero become too much for him? Had he decided that, yes, he very much preferred the peaceful Ordonian way of life to that of a warrior? Certainly, no one would fault him for choosing such a lifestyle after all he’d done for Hyrule already, so why run? Why disappear?

Shad may not be worth his time, but Link would never, _ever_ shirk his duties to Hyrule.

The more he thought about it, the more Shad had begun to believe that, perhaps, Link had…that he really was…

But the matter of that last parting, that final farewell, kept coming back to him. Link, cheerful, honest, unreserved Link, had not been himself that morning. Something was going on that only Link knew about. But not for much longer.

Because Shad was going to find out. He was going to find Link and get his answers, if not for Hyrule than for himself.

This time, they were going to make things work.

-

Shad wasn’t proud of the person he’d been when he’d first met Link. The hero laughed it off now, but Shad always recalled the event with a deep sense of shame. There they’d been, the newly formed Resistance meeting in secret at Telma’s Bar, their country gripped by terror and their futures uncertain. And in walks some kid dressed like the Legendary Hero of old, offering _his_ services to _them_? The thought had been laughable at the time, and, oh, how they’d laughed.

Although not much older than Link, Shad had, at the time, regarded himself quite highly over who he presumed to be just some scruffy, backwater farm boy. Unable to claim a noble lineage himself, the scholar nonetheless had taken pride in the fact that _both_ sides of his family had served the royal family for several generations. His father had even earned himself the rank of butler at one point, choosing to dedicate himself to his research only in the final decade of his life. As such, Shad had grown up surrounded by opulence even if that opulence was never his own.

This early snobbish behaviour had earned him the moniker ‘city boy’ by Link as the two became good friends.

News eventually spread of Link’s deeds in the struggle against Zant and the invading Twili. Telma herself vouched for the young hero, praising his valiant actions and caring heart. The Resistance, Shad included, soon realized the mistake their hubris had gotten them into, and from then on had pledged to aid the warrior in his mission. Link would later state that they were instrumental to his success, but everyone knew that they couldn’t have done it without him. Even now, had Link not appeared when he had, they might all still be trapped within the twilight.

A charming hero with a kind heart might have been enough to make some people swoon, but not Shad. Their love had grown over time. What started as a necessary alliance quickly built into a close friendship and was followed soon after by the first pangs of romantic attraction. It had shocked the scholar to hear the genuine interest in Link’s voice when he first asked about the fabled City in the Sky. He knew now that Link’s reason for conversing with him in the first place had had more to do with his mission than with wanting to get to know him, but Link had still chosen to take the time to listen, really _listen_ , to Shad ramble on about his research, his father’s research. He’d been taken aback by this supposedly simple farm boy’s honest curiosity in his life’s work, and that had convinced him to reassess the teen from Ordon Village.

And he was glad that he had. After the assault on Hyrule Castle and the final battle, relieved beyond measure to hear of Link’s victory not only for what it meant for Hyrule but also for the sake of the hero himself, Shad had endeavoured to get to better know Link, the real Link and not just the Hero of Light. Perhaps that’s why, in the wake of Princess Zelda’s decision to clarify the events of the Twilight Crisis to the people of her kingdom, Link had come to him and revealed the details of his adventures with Midna, the Princess of Twilight. He’d confided in Shad, as well, the sorrow he felt as a result of her loss, not to death but to distance, in a manner of speaking.

Shad never thought he’d see Link cry. He’d especially never imagined holding onto the youth as he sobbed into his shoulder. Link had never showed anyone else just how deeply in mourning he was for his companion and friend, but Shad knew that that sadness had draped itself over his heart like a shroud for many weeks afterward. It wasn’t uncommon still, during particularly beautiful sunsets, just as the sun disappears beyond the horizon, for Shad to catch Link looking out the window towards some distant memory.

Shad had long suspected that they’d need to eventually say goodbye, so when Link appeared on his doorstep the day after Zelda’s coronation, he didn’t expect the young hero to make himself at home and begin relaying all he could remember of his time among the Oocca in the City in the Sky. All throughout the afternoon and well into the night, the pair conversed seamlessly on the topic. Shad filled page after page with new revelations, interrupting occasionally to ask a question or seek clarification. He fully expected Link to leave upon the completion of his tale but was surprised again by the young man when he chose to stay, allowing Shad to bounce new theories off of him.

The third surprise of the day came when Link, taking advantage of a rare moment of quiet, leaned in and kissed him. By then, they’d moved to the much comfier loveseat Shad had set up in his study for when he was too exhausted from an all-nighter of theorizing to go to bed proper. The intimate nature of the seating arrangement had sent Shad’s imagination into a frenzy initially, but he’d quickly quelled those thoughts. He’d had no reason to suspect Link returned his feelings and wasn’t about to jeopardize their friendship on a whim.

Link, apparently, hadn’t shared those same qualms. The kiss was soft, gentle, uncertain. In any other case, it would have been completely forgettable. But that had been their _first_ kiss, and Shad would never forget it…

_Seemingly coming to his senses, Link’s eyes snapped open as he pulled back. The pink that began to dust his cheeks extended even to the tips of his pointed ears, and, judging by the heat he felt in his face, Shad was sure that he matched. Shocked to the point of speechlessness, he couldn’t help but stare at Link even as the young hero’s eyes seemed transfixed on some unknown spot on the floor._

_“Sorry, I…I should’ve asked…” Link mumbled, still refusing to look up. “Maybe I should go…”_

_Rarely in Shad’s life had words ever eluded him so entirely, but Link had a funny habit of making him speechless with even the simplest gestures. Before the youth could rise from his spot and leave Shad wondering for the rest of his days what might have been, he reached out to rest his hand atop Link’s. He found his words again as Link looked up to meet his gaze._

_“Stay. Please.” It wasn’t much, but it must have been enough, because before he knew it, Link was leaning in for another kiss, and this time Shad found himself kissing back. It became apparent pretty quickly that the young hero was either nervous or inexperienced or both. Shad took the lead, and the kisses became smooth and sure thereafter._

_As they broke for breath, Shad took stock of how their bodies now sat pressed together. It felt so natural, so_ right _, with Link this close. He watched as the youth’s lips curled into a smile. He knew that smile._

_“What?” The scholar asked, preparing himself for one of Link’s blunt observations. He always got this way when he thought he’d come up with something clever and wanted to say it._

_“I think I get it now why people complain so much about glasses. They kind of get in the way while kissing.”_

_Shad shot him an unimpressed look, making to remove his glasses even as Link laughed one of his full, clear laughs. Shad loved that laugh. Before he could grasp his spectacles, however, the scholar suddenly had two hands wrapped around his own, holding him in place._

_“No, don’t,” Link said, still trying to shake off the last couple chuckles. “I like them on you. Err, what I mean is I like how you look with them on.” The blush returned in full force as Link struggled to find the words he was looking for. “They’re a part of what makes you_ you _, and I…I love that about you.” Shad’s heart practically leaped out of his chest at the sound of the word ‘love’ coming from Link’s mouth. He was certain it stopped altogether for a split second at the young hero’s next words. “Shad, I think I love you.”_

_“I think I love you, too, old boy.” And before he knew it, they were kissing again. It should have been pure bliss, but no sooner had Shad begun to consider what a life with Link would be like did another, different series of thoughts come streaming in. “Wait, Link, aren’t you set to return to Ordon Village?”_

_Link paused, the same conundrum finally manifesting itself in his mind. “Come with me.”_

_“Link, I…I_ can’t _. Between my father’s research,_ my _research, and the Academy…Not to mention all the ruins I’ve been meaning to study…I have a life to rebuild. The life I had before all_ this _.”_ Before you _, he thought. “I’m sorry. I can’t go.”_

_The hurt in Link’s eyes was almost too much to bear. Yet, still, the youth did not seem to want to give up. “Then I’ll come live here. With you.”_

_“No, Link. Zelda was right when she told you to go back to the village and enjoy the last of your younger years while you still can. You’ll never get them back.” It hurt. It hurt so bad to have to tell Link to leave, to reject what might be their only chance to be together. But Shad was willing to stand by his words. Hyrule would need its hero again someday, but until then Link deserved to enjoy what small pieces of his old life he could get back._

_Still, the sound logic of his argument could do nothing to soften what seeing Link’s eyes well up with tears did to his heart. If he didn’t throw out a lifeline, they were both going to sink into that despair. “Listen, old boy. One day, you’re going to come back to the castle, a hero ready to take up that mantle once more. And when you do, I’ll be here. If your feelings towards me remain unchanged upon your return, seek me out, and we’ll continue where we left off.”_

_It was the best he could do with such an unfortunate situation, but it seemed to work as he watched Link first nod, and then close his eyes and take a deep breath. In the silence, Shad was reminded of just how_ young _Link was, how young they both were, to have gone through all he had in just a few short months. Wrapping his arms around the young hero, Shad pulled him into a comforting, loving embrace._

_They’d stayed like that for several long minutes before Link finally said, “I’ll come back to you. I promise.”_

-

 _Link, where could you have gone?_ Shad thought to himself as he trudged down the lamplit street towards his home. After three weeks spent chasing hunches and maybes, the ex-Resistance members had finally reconvened at Telma’s Bar to consolidate their findings. The meeting had gone late despite the fact that no one had been able to provide even a guess as to where Link might be. Auru had dug up no new leads in the west, Ashei had scoured the north with nothing to show for her efforts, and Shad had returned to the east only to come up empty handed. No one, neither Zora nor Goron nor Hylian, could claim to have seen Link in the past couple months. They’d even searched his old haunts and found nothing. It was like he’d simply vanished from the face of the earth.

They eventually settled on a new course of action: exploring the ruins of the old temple in the forest. Link had once stated that he felt a connection with the place, after all. It was a stretch, but with nothing else to go on, the Sacred Grove was their best bet.

Fishing his keys out of his bag, Shad struggled to remain optimistic in the face of their next expedition. The trio were to leave in two days’ time in order to give everyone a chance to prepare for the journey. They were to travel together, but Shad’s foul mood left him wanting to be alone more than anything. Hope had been slim from the outset, but now…

Pushing open the front door, Shad, in his gloomy state, nearly failed to spot the letter that must have been slid under his door while he was out. Scooping it up, he shut the door and dropped his bag onto a nearby table. Except for his name and address, the envelope was blank. No return address, no sender. Opening the letter, he immediately went to the end to see who had sent it, bypassing the contents entirely. He froze, unblinking, unbreathing, as he caught sight of that ever-so familiar scrawl.

The letter was from _Link_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 02/06/20: Many thanks to shadlink64 for this amazing work of fanart! https://www.deviantart.com/shadlink64/art/Love-can-hurt-828967470


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The days leading up to Link’s return to Hyrule Castle had been excruciatingly ordinary. A little over two years had passed since the Twilight Crisis, and most everything had returned to normal. A new era of peace had begun, and everyone was in high spirits. The future looked bright.

Shad had spent the better part of those two years completing his junior studies in archeology at the Royal Academy. He’d made a couple expeditions to various ruin sites and had been lucky enough to have attracted the attention of the esteemed Professor Pierro all thanks to his, and his late father’s, tireless efforts towards solving the mystery of the Oocca. He really owed it to Link for imparting him with what knowledge he could regarding his time spent in the City in the Sky.

In the beginning, it had been difficult _not_ to think about the young hero. It took a long time, longer than Shad wanted to admit, for the wound left by Link’s temporary departure from his life to fully heal. But as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the routineness of the every day eventually took over. When once he’d found himself unable to banish Link from his thoughts even for a moment, he now recalled unprompted memories only when particular triggers crossed his path. Through some unspoken agreement, they’d decided not to remain in written contact.

So, when the Hero of Light rode up to the gates, clad in green and bearing sword and shield, it took everyone by surprise. Word spread throughout Castle Town like wildfire, and in no time at all, the city had emptied out onto its streets, everyone jostling to catch a glimpse of Hyrule’s Hero.

Shad hadn’t gone to join the myriad of onlookers. He’d wait for Link to come to him, if the hero even still remembered him, if he still cared.

The scholar wasn’t particularly surprised when, a couple days later, he heard that Link had already left for the west on his first official mission. He didn’t expect the disappointment, however, to feel so _crushing_. He took it as a sign that Link had grown up and moved on, and that he should, too. Then why couldn’t he? Link had returned, but not to him. That should have been all the confirmation he needed.

But his heart refused to let go, which made the following weeks nearly unbearable. Knowing Link had been so close and yet still so distant hurt in a way wholly different from their initial parting. Attempting to distract his mind, Shad had thrown himself into his research like never before, but not even that could keep the pieces of his slowly breaking heart from crumbling away.

And then Link was back again, and again there were cheers and laughter and gawking. If this was how it was going to be every time, Shad wasn’t sure he’d be able to take much more of it.

A knock on his door early one evening had him reeling: here was Link, on his doorstep, with that same shy grin, just like that day two years ago. Shad felt he’d been transported back in time.

He’d expected Link to look different, somehow: a bit taller, perhaps, a little less scruffy. But, nearly out of his teen years, Link still retained much of his boyish charm. He’d shed his more awkward proportions but had remained rather short. Not that Shad was free to comment on matters of height: he’d long given up on his dreams of one day seeing his taller colleagues eye-to-eye in the most literal sense possible.

If there was one thing that had changed about Link’s appearance it was the way he held himself. When once he’d walked with an air of haphazardness, he now chose his steps with a hitherto unknown level of confidence. Years of experience had turned this boy into a man…

_“Hey, Shad.”_

_“H-hello, old boy.”_

_“Mind if I come in?”_

_“Oh, of course not! Yes, make yourself at home.” Opening the door fully and shimmying out of the way, Shad mental kicked himself for beginning the visit on such an awkward note. He hoped he hadn’t been staring long enough for Link to have noticed his quick appraisal. In any case, the hero didn’t seem bothered by the inelegant greeting at all, striding into the room with all the familiarity of an old friend. And, well, he was an old friend, even if Shad wanted more._

_“Can I get you anything? A tea, perhaps?” the scholar asked, leading Link to the two-person table that occupied the only room that wasn’t either his study or his bedroom. Life as a bachelor hadn’t encouraged him to make many changes to his living space throughout the years besides his weekly addition of books to the already packed shelves. He was glad he was rather meticulous about cleanliness else he’d feel even more embarrassed in front of Link than he already did._

_“You know what, yeah,” Link responded, seating himself. His smile was so disarming. “The last time I had tea was with you, so maybe my tastes have changed.”_

_With his back turned to Link as he prepared the kettle, Shad couldn’t help but grin at the memory of Link’s last attempt at enjoying tea. Link may not have been the most eloquent conversationalist, but he had no problems expressing exactly what he thought and felt non-verbally. Suffice to say, he’d made quite the face at the bitter taste of the ‘hot leaf juice’ as he’d called it._

_“Hopefully. I do recall your distaste was rather…acute.”_

_Link let out a bark of a laugh. “An understatement, that is. So, how have ya been? Still using fancy words for simple statements, I see.” He’d removed his cap, casually setting it off to the side._

_“Doing rather well, I should say. I’ve partnered with an old professor of mine to continue research into the Oocca. We’re working on the theory that the Oocca themselves are the descendants, or at least inheritors, of another, more ancient civilization entirely,” Shad explained, placing two cups on the table. “All thanks to the information you’ve given me, of course.”_

_Somehow, Link’s smile managed to increase in brightness still. “For you, anytime.”_

_Shad was glad for the distraction that was the water coming to boil. He hoped his blush wasn’t too obvious. “And what of you? Have there been any significant changes to the goat-herding profession?”_

_Another laugh that sent the scholar’s heart fluttering. “Nah. At least not in Ordon. Things don’t change much there: never have, never will. Part of why I love it so much, I suppose.”_

_The conversation lapsed into a moment of pleasant quietude while Shad poured the tea and set the kettle down out of the way. He took up the chair opposite Link and took a sip before asking, “Well, tell me about your mission, then. How did it go?”_

_“Not too bad, actually! I guess there had been some unrest building up for a while among the Bulbin tribes, but all I had to do was show up and defeat the wanna-be rebel leader in a duel. Bulblin life is really pretty simple that way.”_

_“Yes, I suppose parlay with those brutes would be rather out of the question.”_

_“Hey, now,” Link said, taking up a slightly defensive tone. “Bulblins aren’t that bad. In a way, I kind of understand them.” When confronted with a questioning look from Shad, Link tried his best to explain. “They’re a warrior culture; they follow the strongest. That’s their warrior code, and I respect that. My warrior code is to protect people, but, otherwise, we aren’t much different, you know?”_

_“I…I suppose I grasp your logic to a certain extent.” Although never in a million years would Shad think to compare the Hero of Light to a mere Bulblin. “Becoming quite the philosopher, aren’t you, old boy? Should I be expecting dissertations on the nature of duty next?” The scholar was pleased to find that he wasn’t the only one who still blushed easily. “Just to clarify, was it not King Bulblin who kidnapped your friend and tried to kill you?”_

_Link shrugged. “Like I said, he was just following his warrior code.”_

_In the brief silence that followed, Shad raised his cup to his lips, looking away from the hero for the first time since sitting down. “You have a forgiving heart, Link.”_

_Finally taking a sip of his own tea, Link grimaced at the taste before commenting, “Yeah, I’m the complete hero package, that’s for sure…”_

_Shad didn’t quite know what to make of the young man’s cynical tone. Storing the topic away for another day, if he got that chance, he watched as Link took another sip of tea. Goddesses bless him, he sure was trying. “Link, you don’t…you don’t have to drink the tea if you don’t like it.”_

_“Are you sure? I don’t wanna be rude.”_

_“As my honoured guest, I exonerate you from any and all tea-drinking duties.” He smiled at Link, and Link smiled back, and for a moment everything was perfect. He felt content and safe and_ whole _again. An instant later, his traitorous mind was reminding him that in no way had Link made it explicit that he still returned those feelings. And again, Shad felt torn between playing it safe and risking it all for love. He’d only just gotten his friend back, after all._

_“I’m gonna be leaving again for a bit,” Link revealed somberly. “Zelda wants me to do a tour of Hyrule, let everyone know I’m still around and all that.” He paused and took a breath. “When I get back, I want to take you somewhere.”_

_“Oh?” Here he went again, losing his words exactly when he needed them._

_Link nodded. “I’m gonna ask the Oocca if I can bring you to the City in the Sky.”_

_If Shad had been on his way to speechlessness before, he was completely flabbergasted now. The City in the Sky!_ THE _City in the Sky! Home of the Oocca, the subject of his research these past many years. From what Link had told him, they were a very secretive race, and Link had respected their wishes to not show anyone how their domain could be accessed. And now, the hero was willing to intervene on his behalf and plead with the Oocca to grant this one exception._

_It was a dream come true._

_“Link, I…I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”_

_“Well, don’t go making any solid plans yet. There’s a likely chance they’ll say no, but I thought I’d ask anyways.”_

_“Link…thank you.”_

_Another blush, another shy smile. “I should be back in a few weeks, maybe a month. People are gonna want to chat and catch up.”_

_“Of course. I’ll try not to get my hopes up too high in the meantime, but I can’t guarantee that you won’t discover me completely prepared to leave as soon as you’ve returned!”_

_“That’s my Shad!” The scholar’s heart did a flip at those words. ‘My Shad’… “Well, I should get going. Early start tomorrow. But I’ll be back! I promise.”_

-

The contents of the letter were simple and brief. Though keen to engage with the written word, Link had never been much of a writer himself. He was not the type to sit still at a desk for very long. Still, he did send letters on occasion. Were it not for the fact that Link had been missing for some time, Shad would have considered the act of sending the letter to be charming and romantic.

As it were, Shad went through the letter with bated breath. It read thusly:

_My dearest Shad,_

_You know I’m no good at writing letters, so I’ll keep this short._

_I’m sorry._

_I should’ve told you from the start what was going on. I’m a coward for leaving you in the dark for so long. I hope you can forgive me someday._

_I can’t explain in this letter why I left, but I think you’ll understand when you get here._

_Come to the Fishing Pond, east of Zora’s Domain. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going._

_I’ll be waiting for you every day._

_Love,_

_Link_

Shad read the letter over and over again, trying to decipher something more from it than just Link’s vague instructions. It was unusual for his lover to be so cryptic. In the end, the letter offered more questions than answers. What was Link hiding? Why had he felt he’d needed to disappear? Why was he now choosing to reveal himself?

And why was he being so harsh on himself for not letting Shad in on the secret? They were lovers, sure, but they’d yet to make any kind of formal commitment to each other. Not that either of them had anyone else in their lives right now. At least, not that Shad knew.

There was one thing that had the potential to cause Link to act unreasonably. But still, there would have had to have been some kind of inciting incident. Unless he was keeping that a secret from him, too.

Folding the letter and tucking it into his pocket, Shad busied himself with filling his old travel pack with all he’d need for the journey. Having only recently returned, there wasn’t all that much work to do. In the morning, he’d set out. He’d have to rent a steed and come up with a lie that would keep anyone from following him. Ashei and Auru would have to report to Queen Zelda without him.

_I’m coming, dear. Just wait for me a little while longer._

-

Link returned after a fortnight, and the two set out almost immediately. They were forced to make camp once before reaching Lake Hylia, which they did near a small stand of trees. Shad was surprised to discover that even on the road Link remained a rather private individual. They chatted about Link’s tour and the continued peace of Hyrule, the goings-on of Castle Town past and present, and Shad had even been given the chance to provide more in-depth details about his time at the Academy and the ruins he’d visited since the Twilight Crisis. Yet Link refused to elaborate further on his escapades in Ordon these past two years. They were uneventful and dull, he claimed, certainly compared to everything Shad had been up to.

Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. The scholar wasn’t about to press further despite the curiosity that was eating him up inside. He’d been wondering if perhaps Link had decided to pursue Ilia after all. Link had insisted during the Twilight Crisis that he and Ilia were best friends and nothing more, but it had been clear that _something_ lay between them. Ilia had certainly seemed to want it to be so.

On the matter of romance, the hero was silent. Shad had presented the possibility of discussing the topic via a light-hearted joke, but Link had refused to take the bait. And with nothing to add, himself having had no lovers or potential suitors these past two years, Shad had dropped the matter. If Link was skirting the topic, it was wisest for Shad to do so, too.

They reached Lake Hylia and the Sky Cannon the next day. Link proceeded to explain the process in not enough detail for Shad to feel perfectly comfortable before handing over one of his clawshots and telling the scholar to ‘go at it’. And he had, panicking internally the entire time. Next thing he knew, he was hurtling through the air before dropping rather unceremoniously into a pool of water.

The shock had forced all the air from his lungs. Link hadn’t said anything about water. Somehow, he managed to scramble up to the surface just as Link came down beside him. The pair swam to the edge, Link with a lot more grace than Shad, and hoisted themselves out of the water. Link was already up on his feet and wringing water out of his cap while Shad regained his breath.

_"Fun, wasn’t it?”_ Link had asked with a cocky grin. Shad had had half a mind to push him back in.

Link had then brought him to meet with the Oocca they were meant to report to. Shad had quickly forgotten his discomfort at being drenched from head-to-toe upon coming face-to-face with members of the ancient and knowledgeable race he’d been researching for so long. Given the choice, he would have stayed and conversed with them for hours, nay, _days_ , recording every last detail until he finally ran out of ink or pages, whichever came first. Unfortunately, while the Oocca elders had given their permission for the two Hylians to roam the City in the Sky as they pleased, they were to keep their interactions with individual Oocca to a minimum.

As the brief introductions wrapped, Shad retained the hope in his heart that maybe there would be a next time, and maybe next time he could hold interviews with a couple of the Oocca.

Shad got to work immediately. Their time in the City was limited not only because of the Oocca mandate, but also due to their rations. It would appear that the Oocca didn’t ingest food that Hylians would consider edible, and so they’d had to bring their own. But they’d been limited to what they could bring alongside them in the cannon. If they were careful, they’d be able to last two nights before being forced to return to the world below.

Link guided the scholar to a couple areas of the City that he had found interesting his first time through, but for the most part he let Shad take the lead. They went from room to room, tower to tower, stopping often as Shad discovered a new carving or inscription. It was all so incredibly overwhelming, and he tried to capture every moment of it in his notes.

Eventually they’d been forced to make camp. The City was practically untraversable at night. Shimmying into an alcove that protected them from the wind, the pair ate and then Shad proceeded to tell Link all about the new information he was discovering the implications of that information. Periodically, the scholar considered shutting up so as not to bore the hero or seem self-conceited in his domination of the conversation, but every time he attempted to wind down, Link would ask him a question or pose a scenario, and Shad would start up all over again.

He tried not to look at Link too often while he was talking; the hero couldn’t seem to stop smiling that genuine smile at him, making Shad blush whenever he noticed.

When they finally hunkered down for the night, Shad had been far too energized to sleep. He stayed up until the early hours of the morning going over his notes and coming up with new theories. Even still, he found his eyes wandering to gaze upon Link’s sleeping form every once in a while. He looked so peaceful. Shad’s heart ached to hold him. He settled instead on drawing the blanket further over Link from where it had shifted and been rewarded with some sleepy mumbling.

The second day went by much as the first with Shad studying the rundown, floating city and furiously taking notes. After lunch, Link took him to a more secluded part of the City. It was only accessible via clawshot, and so they’d had to tie themselves together and Shad had had to hold on tight to Link while the hero transported them. Terrifying as the experience was with naught but empty sky beneath them as they dangled from ceilings, Shad couldn’t say he hadn’t enjoyed being so close to Link at least a little. Maybe more than a little.

They saw no Oocca during their travels around the City; it would seem they’d been told to stay away from the newcomers. Shad couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at this although his discoveries amongst the art and architecture would be sure to keep him busy for years already.

They made camp again. Exhaustion was finally starting to catch up to Shad, and as such he was much quieter that night. The silence that lay over them as they ate dinner, however, had been peaceful and comforting. As sad as it was that their little excursion would soon be over, Shad was ever so grateful to Link for bringing him to the City in the Sky and sharing this moment with him. He couldn’t even begin to think of how he would repay him…

_“Shad, relax. You don’t have to keep thanking me. I had a lot of fun, and besides, I wanted to bring you here.” Link paused, and Shad remained silent, sensing the hero had more to say. “I wanted to do something important. For you.”_

_“What do you mean, old boy?”_

_Link, eyes downcast, inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I guess I’m trying to say I’m sorry.”_

_“Whatever for?” Shad asked, genuinely alarmed that he had missed something so crucial between them to have warranted_ this _as an apology._

_“I’m sorry for making you wait two whole years. I’m sorry for being so distant. I’m sorry I didn’t run straight to your arms when I got back. And I’m sorry…for lying to you.”_

_Shad gave Link a puzzled look. The first three things he could understand, although he didn’t feel that Link needed to apologize for them at all. They’d both accepted that love was a fickle thing, and that there’d been no guarantee that they’d return to each other. But the fourth escaped his reasoning. “I don’t understand.”_

_Link stood up and took a couple paces away from him, keeping his back turned to both Shad and the campfire. He remained there, holding himself, for several long moments, long enough for Shad to consider finding some way to change the subject, to get Link out of this situation he was struggling with._

_And then Link continued on. “I’ve been afraid to tell you all this time. I’m not what you think I am.” A deep breath, a brief pause. “I wasn’t…born a man.”_

_Shad let the news wash over him. He hadn’t suspected a thing, not at all. He probably wouldn’t even believe it if he wasn’t hearing it from Link himself. But…what difference did it make? Learning this fact didn’t seem to change how he perceived Link: Shad was still deeply and madly in love with the brave, selfless, amazing man before him._

_And so, he asked, quite simply: “So?”_

_Link half-turned to look at him. “You aren’t angry?”_

_“Why would I be angry?”_

_“Because I…I lied to you. I led you on. I know you prefer men, and I’m…”_

_“Link, listen to me.” Shad fixed the hero with a serious look. “It doesn’t change who you are. If you feel that you’re a man, then you’re a man. End of story. I don’t love you any less for the kind of body you have. If anything, your courageous act of honesty only makes me love you more.”_

_It took a second for his own words to register in his mind. Once he’d realised what he’d just confessed, Shad felt his face heat up. Link’s eyes were wide; he must have realised it, too._

_“I didn’t think you’d wait for me. N-not because you’re you, but because I’m me.” Link placed a hand over his eyes, clearly struggling for the right words. “I just figured you’d move on.”_

_“Believe me, I thought the same thing about you,” Shad replied. “You and Ilia…”_

_“Oh, we tried,” Link confessed. “But it…didn’t work out. We make much better friends than lovers. And besides, the whole time I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It wasn’t really fair to Ilia.”_

_“No, I suppose it wouldn’t be,” Shad agreed. “Link, come here.” He patted the ground next to him, urging the hero to sit beside him once more. Link complied, letting himself be pulled into Shad’s embrace. He tilted his head to the side to allow it to rest against the scholar’s shoulder. “We’re a bit of a mess, you and I.” Link nodded. “And we’re quite the pair.” Link nodded again. “But at least now we can be together.”_

_At this, Link tilted his head up to look at him. Gazing into those lovely blue eyes, Shad instantly recognized what Link must have been feeling, because he felt it, too. It was the disbelief one encounters in the moment between which a dream becomes a reality._

_Soon, they were kissing, all the pent-up passion of the past couple years coming out from deep inside them both. The kissing became touching and the touching resulted in fewer clothes, and well…_

_They woke up late that morning despite their poor accommodations, tangled as they were in the blankets and in each other’s arms._

-

Shad awoke with the sun, packing up as quickly as he could. If he was lucky, he’d make it to the Fishing Pond by sunset. He wasn’t a particularly skilled rider, but he’d asked for one of the fastest long-distance horses the stable had available, and, so far, they hadn’t disappointed.

The lonely journey left him with a lot of time to think. Time to think back on where things might have gone wrong, where he might have made a mistake resulting in Link not trusting him with his latest secret until now. He’d thought things had been going well between them.

It wasn’t easy being in a relationship with the Hero of Light, but not because of their dynamic. Whenever they were together, everything was wonderful and whole and _right_. But being a hero meant periodically having to save the day and tending to one’s duties which, in this case, encompassed an entire kingdom. It wasn’t unusual for Link to be gone for days or sometimes weeks on end, or for him to be called away last minute.

They hadn’t been entirely open about their relationship, but anyone who knew them knew they were romantically involved. Neither of them wanted the kind of attention publicly declaring their love would bring, although that didn’t mean that Shad, for his part, didn’t one day want to settle down and establish a household.

It was frustrating to them both having only half-achieved what they wanted and finding themselves held back by society. They’d discussed different options several times and come up short with each one. Shad recalled a particularly heated incident when Link, practically yelling, had suggested that they run away together and start a life somewhere else. They both knew how half-hearted the suggestion was: neither of them could bring themselves to abandon Hyrule.

Had Link become so frustrated with his circumstances that he had sought to enter into a life of obscurity? Only now feeling comfortable enough to bring Shad into the fold, or else having second thoughts about leaving him? Did he really mean for them to run away after all?

What would he do if Link asked him to leave with him?

Shad tried his best to push such thoughts from his mind. All this speculation was going to drive him mad.

He just needed to wait. Link said he’d understand when he got there. He just needed to be patient.

He just needed to trust Link.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The day was approaching sunset when Shad finally reached the spot where Zora’s River bifurcated, and where the trail broke off towards the Fishing Pond. He wasn’t quite sure what to feel: excited to see Link again, eager to unravel the mystery of the missing man, worried that what he was about to discover would be bad news. His journey was coming to an end, but what waited just around the corner? In any case, it was time to find out.

Crossing the river, Shad urged his mount onwards only to be halted by the sight of a tall woman headed determinately his way. He dismounted as she approached.

“You’re Shad, yeah?” she asked, skipping the formalities. Shad had long grown accustomed to that countryside abruptness thanks to Link. Before he could confirm, she continued, “Gotta be. You look exactly like he described you. Except maybe not so cute. Well, come on. I’m headed back myself for the day.” And with that, she turned around and started making her way towards the Fishing Pond.

Leading his horse by the reins, Shad walked after her, trying not to let thoughts of Link describing him as cute to strange women distract him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name, miss…?”

“Iza. And there’s no need to call me miss. Unless you’re lookin’ for a job? Tourist season is coming up, and I could use the extra help.”

“My apologies, but I’m already employed as a researcher.”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The Fishing Pond was larger than he anticipated, more akin to a small lake than anything. The rich, warm tones of the fading sunlight shimmered across the surface of the water. Off to the side was a modest hut which Iza was steering him towards. To his pleasant surprise, Shad spotted Epona, too busy nibbling on some hay to acknowledge their approach.

“I’ll take your horse. You head inside,” Iza said, grabbing the reins from him. Shad complied, walking up the few wooden steps and gently pushing open the door to the hut.

He expected to see Link as he entered, but was instead greeted by another, younger woman. “Hey there! You must be Shad. Link let us know to look out for you. Oh, I’m Hena, by the way.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Hena. Would…would Link be here?”

“He’s out tryin’ to catch us some dinner, but he’s likely to come back soon if you feel like waitin’.”

“I think I’d prefer to see him now. Could you direct me towards his general location?”

“Gee, he was right. You _do_ have a fancy way of speakin’. He’s probably out by his favourite fishing spot. Just go out ‘til you hit the pond, then turn left and keep following the shoreline until you reach some boulders. Can’t miss it.”

Shad thanked her, trying his best not to sound “fancy”, and left the hut. He followed her instructions but was barely two minutes into his expedition when he spotted a figure coming towards him, also following the shoreline. His heart stopped, and so did his feet.

“Shad?” Link called, speeding up to reach him. That voice! How he’d longed to hear that voice again after so many months without it. The sound brought a familiar lightness to his heart even as the sight of the hero caused his thoughts to stutter.

He’d chosen ordinary attire over his heroic garb clearly to better blend in, although the Ordon style of his clothing set him apart from other residents of the region. Instead of sword and shield, he held a fishing rod and tackle box in one hand and a basket of fish in the other. But in all other aspects, he still looked exactly as the scholar remembered him: same scruffy hair, same bright blue eyes, same smile.

Well, there was one difference, one that was very difficult to ignore but very awkward to address.

“Link, you’re…I mean, are you…?”

“Pregnant? Yeah.”

A million questions swirled through Shad’s mind, yet he couldn’t find a voice to ask even a single one coherently. “How…When…How long…am I…?”

“How about we sit down somewhere, and you let me explain everything,” Link interrupted calmly. “But first, I gotta drop off this stuff.” And just like that, he moved around Shad and began walking towards the hut. It took the scholar a moment for his brain and his feet to start working again, but once they did, he quickly caught up to Link.

“Would you like me to carry something for you?” he offered a little awkwardly. Shad had limited experience interacting with pregnant people, but he was pretty sure that helping them with physical endeavours was what was expected.

“I mean, if you want. Here.” Link offered him the handle of the fish basket, and Shad took it, their fingers brushing for a brief moment. “Kinda glad I decided not to throw back that last bass. You got here quick. I wasn’t expecting you until maybe tomorrow at the earliest.”

“I rented the fastest horse I could,” Shad replied.

Link flashed him a smile as they ascended the steps to the hut, and Shad felt his heart leap. Inside, Link passed the equipment off to Hena and motioned for Shad to place the basket on the counter as well. “We’re gonna go have a little chat out by the docks. Holler when food’s ready!”

“Will do!” Hena called after them.

Link led Shad down to the end of the dock. Going from standing to sitting posed a bit of a struggle for him, but Link managed, removing his footwear before dunking his feet in the cool pond water. He sighed in relief as Shad sat down beside him, likewise placing his newly bared feet in the water.

“I come out here every day after supper to rest my feet,” Link explained. “The water does ‘em some good. Their sore pretty much all the time now.” Link paused, looking down at the surface of the pond. He had one hand resting on his rounded abdomen. After a moment, he sighed and continued. “Alright, go ahead. Ask away.”

Shad didn’t even know where to start, but decided it was best to start with the facts. “How far along are you?”

“Eight-ish months, I think? I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly, you know, _when_ , but I’ve known for sure for a good six months now.”

“And am I…?”

Link nodded, still looking away.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to. I wanted to so bad. But I was scared. Scared you didn’t want to be a father. Scared I’d ruined all three our lives. Scared to have my secret revealed before all of Hyrule…” Link took a shaky breath. “You know how hard I’ve worked to hide it from everyone. In Hyrule, I’m a man; that’s all I ever have been and that’s all I ever will be. You don’t know how freeing that is, to be so fully accepted for who I am and not how I was born. In the village, it’s…different. They’ve accepted me as a man, and I love them all for that, but sometimes, when I’m around, I can just tell that they still see me a little differently. You can’t un-know the truth, after all…

“I feel awful for lying to everyone for so long, but it just feels so _good_ to live that fantasy. Is that so wrong?” Link asked, finally looking up. There were tears in his eyes. Shad placed his hand overtop of the one Link had kept on the dock and squeezed gently. The hero’s gaze fell to their joined hands, lost in thought before letting out a short, mirthless laugh. “People finally see me for who I am, and I feel guilty about it. Can you believe that? Like it’s anyone’s business what I’ve got going on in my pants…”

Link closed his eyes and took another shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Shad. I’ve had a lot of time to think about things, and I realise now that I made the wrong decision. I left hoping I could create more time for myself to sort everything out, to somehow preserve that fantasy, but all I did was drop all of my own consequences onto everyone else’s laps. It was selfish of me, not just towards you and Hyrule, but to this child.

“Because preserving that fantasy would mean giving up this baby, and I can’t do that, Shad. I can’t leave this baby on someone’s doorstep and hope they’ll be raised right. I can’t live knowing that there’s a child out there wondering who their birth parents are, or were, and whether they loved them or not, the way I’ve done my whole life, and that I’m the reason they wonder. And I especially can’t raise this child in secret, forcing them to live a life hidden from everyone just because _I_ can’t get my shit together.”

Link’s whole body was shaking by the end of his confession. It tore Shad’s heart to pieces to see the man in such pain. Giving in to instinct, Shad inched up against Link, wrapped his arms around the hero’s shoulders, and just held him. They stayed sitting like that until the sun began to dip below the horizon, until Link had stopped shaking, until the tears had run dry.

And they continued to sit together that way, gazes locked, as Shad spoke. “You’re not alone in this, Link. I’m here for you, and I will _always_ be here for you. We can build a home together, raise this child, _our_ child, together. They’ll grow up surrounded by friends and family and love. It won’t be easy, but when has anything ever been easy for us?” Link gave a short laugh, but this one was genuine this time. “And anyone who treats you differently after learning of your secret, well, they just don’t matter. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a man, my man, and if they try to make a fuss, well I’ll…I’ll punch them.”

That got Link to smile. “Shad, the last time you punched someone, you nearly broke your hand.”

“Yes, well, I have my own private fighting tutor now. And I hear he’s the best.” Link playfully shoved at him, despite how tightly knit they currently were, and in response Shad only wormed his way closer until their foreheads were touching. “We’ll make it work, old boy; you’ll see.”

Link nodded, and they lapsed into silence again. The sun had fallen beyond the horizon, and the light was beginning to fade. Shad briefly wondered if Link still fell into his melancholic moods this time of day, and if the hero was experiencing one such moment now.

Link surprised him a couple heartbeats later by asking: “Hey, did you want to feel my tummy?”

The scholar nodded and pulled away so Link could lift up the hem of his shirt. Before he could register what was happening, Link had grabbed his hand and placed it on his pregnant belly. The sensation wasn’t too different from what he’d expected: skin warm and smooth and unusually curved. It was the sudden wave of emotion that he hadn’t prepared for: love and joy, something protective, and maybe just a little bit of anxiety, or perhaps excitement? He couldn’t be sure what was what in the tangle of half-named emotions he was feeling.

“Wait, hold on,” Link was saying before he’d moved their hands first further to his left and then back slightly, as if he were searching for something. And then Shad felt it. A little bump that appeared and disappeared just as quickly.

“Was that…?” He couldn’t even finish the question before he felt another one. And then another. A brief series of tiny kicks.

“I’m just glad that the little sprout has finally decided to stop attacking my bladder…Shad, are you okay?”

Unbeknownst to the scholar, tears had begun to roll down his face. He couldn’t describe the emotion he was feeling, but it was _strong,_ and it was beautiful. Those tiny, almost imperceptible kicks brought a level of hitherto unknown reality to his situation.

A father. He was going to be a _father_.

“Link,” he said, breathlessly. “I‒”

He was forced to stop speaking as he suddenly found Link’s lips on his. There was something deep about that kiss, something that went beyond the usual passion they had shared in the past. Link wasn’t holding back anymore, holding back his self. Here, in this kiss, for the first time, the hero’s soul was laid bare to him. Shad deepened the kiss, physically and metaphysically, by reciprocating in kind. All that he was, his talents and his shortcomings, his virtues and his vices, his hopes and his fears, he put into that kiss, and found an acceptance he’d never thought he’d feel.

“I love you, too, Shad,” Link whispered as their lips parted. Words whispered countless times before, but which now held an unfathomably profound meaning.

They were tied together now. Two hearts become one. Two paths made inseparable.

“It’s getting dark. We should return to the shore,” Shad said.

“Hard to deny that logic,” Link agreed as Shad helped him to stand. “See, I knew there was a reason I kept you around: for the thinky bits. Well, maybe a couple other bits, too.”

Shad, blushing furiously, would’ve pushed Link and his shit-eating grin into the pond had the man not been so pregnant that doing so might lead to premature labour. Instead, he scooped up his socks and shoes while Link did the same before offering his hand for the other to take. Hand-in-hand, they walked down the dock and back to the hut where they discovered that dinner had been ready for some time.

“Hena, I told you to come get us,” Link whined.

“When I spotted you two chattin’ away, I thought it best to leave you to it,” the avid fisherwoman responded, preparing the plates.

“But now I feel like a bad guest…”

“Sit down and eat your food,” Iza commanded, pointing her fork at them. Shad obeyed immediately while Link lagged behind, allowing himself one last moment of half-hearted drama. “So, you here to stay, then, Shad?”

Shad looked to Link and smiled, giving their still intertwined hands a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, I’m here to stay.”

-

In the weeks that followed, the pair prepared. Stubborn as he was, Link finally agreed to accept professional help for the birth. Shad had a letter sent through Iza’s mysterious but secure mail channels to Zelda, informing Her Majesty, in brief, of the situation with Link and their need for a midwife to be sent to them discreetly: expecting Link to travel at this stage to find a doctor was too risky. A week after the letter was sent, a young but no-nonsense woman arrived at the Fishing Pond and proceeded to spend the rest of the time awaiting the birth hounding Link to stay in bed. The hero, obviously, vehemently refused and proceeded to sneak out of the hut as often as possible with Shad in tow.

The pair were practically inseparable, and not only because Shad felt he needed to keep an eye on Link lest the man get himself into trouble while his back was turned. They spent their wakeful hours chatting and exploring and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Link taught Shad how to fish, and, much to everyone’s surprise, discovered that the scholar wasn’t half bad at it. At night, lying in their makeshift bed together, the conversation often drifted to what life would be like when they returned to Castle Town and their plans for the future.

It had been Shad’s idea that Link suggest to Queen Zelda that he train a special unit of Hyrule’s most promising soldiers to take up his mantle in time. It would become their duty to travel around the country and keep the peace, help people solve their disputes, and ward off any threats. Link would, of course, still be expected to let his presence be known throughout Hyrule, but the hope was that such trips would be few and far between.

Shad was lucky that his own line of work tied him to his home and his desk more often than not.

They’d have to find a new place to live since Shad’s apartment was really only suitable for the bachelor life. Link agreed to remain in town, and as close to the Academy and its abundant scholarly resources as possible, in return for their future little family making as many trips as feasible to Ordon Village and his beloved countryside. Their child would have a most interesting education growing up between lessons about Ancient Hylian history and animal husbandry.

Just shy of a month since Shad’s arrival, it began. Link went into labour sometime in the middle of the night, and the baby was delivered in the early evening hours. The whole process went rather well according to the midwife despite how stressed Shad had been the entire time. But now, seated in bed beside his exhausted fiancé and cradling his newborn baby girl, Shad knew everything was going to be alright.

“Hello, handsome,” he said, welcoming Link back to the conscious world. The dishevelled young man merely grunted and blinked groggily at him.

“How long was I out?”

“Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty,” Shad responded, handing over their precious little bundle. “She didn’t make a single fuss in all that time.”

“Hmmm. Sera, a lady from my village, once said that it’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for: they become little terrors as they get older.” When he didn’t receive a response, Link glanced over at Shad. The scholar seemed lost in thought as he stared at a spot on the bed beside him. “What’s on your mind, Shad?”

The bespectacled man took a deep breath. “I wish…I wish my father was here to see this…”

Shifting so he could hold their daughter with one arm, Link reached out and took Shad’s hand. There were no words to assuage the grief for either of them of not being able to share their joy at having become parents with those they had lost. But at least they could take comfort in each other.

After several long minutes had passed, Shad finally felt capable of moving on to happier subjects. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Aren’t you supposed to help me?”

Shad chuckled. “You rejected all of my suggestions.”

“Yeah, because names like ‘Vivienna’ are too…too…fancy.”

“Enlighten me, then, if you would, o’ Master of Names.”

Link looked down at their daughter, their beautiful baby girl, and let the potential names run through his mind. But none of them stuck. Sighing, he let his gaze roam towards the window where the last rays of the setting sun shone through into their little room. As he watched the day fade into twilight, he expected to feel suddenly overcome by that strange sadness that dusk brings as it falls. But it did not come.

He was too full of hope for the future now to get mired in the sorrows of the past. He summoned memories of _her_ and found that the first to come up were of the good times they’d shared, playfully teasing each other and laughing and fighting side-by-side. Her mischievous smile. Her noble heart.

Link returned his gaze to his daughter’s sleeping face and knew her name. “Midora.”

“What was that, love?”

“Her name…is Midora.”


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Link. My dearest Link._

_Where will our story go from here, I wonder?_

_Once I doubted it would ever even begin. Just as we, two travellers on separate paths, always seemed to bypass each other except on those rare occasions where we shared the same trail even if only for a little while, so, too, did our story undergo its own starts and stops. Never following a straight line, never truly beginning._

_Until now._

_We’ve experienced many firsts together, and it fills my heart with such joy to know that they will not be our lasts. Indeed, we’ve been granted a great gift in being able to witness the many firsts of our daughter as well: her first steps, her first words, her first lost tooth, her first day at school. One day, she will set out on her own path, and we will be there for her then, too._

_But I’m getting ahead of myself._

_Link…_

_From our first kiss to our last, know that I will have loved you the whole way._

Shad paused in his writing to look up at the clear, blue sky. The weather for their journey back to Castle Town was perfect. He let his gaze drop to where his fiancé was preparing their horses for travel, unable to keep his heart from swelling with love for the man.

Beside him in her basket, Midora made a sound in her sleep, shaking him from his reverie.

_Whether by luck or fate or the goddesses’ will, our hearts have reunited at a crossroads. And this time, we will walk the same road, hand-in-hand. Forever more._

_When you run, I’ll run with you. When you stumble, I’ll be there to catch you. When you feel like you can’t go on, I’ll carry you. And I know you’ll do the same for me. We’ve braided our paths together, and not even the goddesses can untangle us._

_Our story has begun. And where will it end? Well, we’ll just have to find out._

_Together._


End file.
